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‘Lobster’ art auction at Gallery 302; concerts at Denmark, Fryeburg art centers
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Crooked River Academy students build bridges on Douglas Mountain in Sebago
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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 144, No. 27
32 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
July 4, 2013
(USPS 065-020)
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Recalling a true patriot By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer If there’s one thing Bridgton Selectman Bob McHatton Sr. might wish for on this Fourth of July, it would be to step back in time to his childhood, when his grandmother was alive. As a boy he couldn’t help but know that his grandmother, Edith Jane “Dolly” Bernson, was someone special; as one of the first woman pilots in New England, she flew with the likes of Amelia Earhart and “Jimmy” Doolittle. What’s more, she trained countless pilots for service during World War II. She was a true patriot, an independent woman who PILOT, Page A
PATRIOT AND PIONEER — woman aviator was Bob McHatton Sr.’s grandmother, Edith Jane “Dolly” Bernson, one of the first woman pilots in New England.
Contractors get their hands dirty
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Some people update the skills and knowledge applicable to their field for career advancement. Typically, this is a voluntary action. In Maine, all individuals who work for companies doing earth work in the Shoreland Zone must complete a course from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This requirement is the law. As of July 1, it is a violation to move even one cubic foot of earth in the Shoreland Zone without the proper certification. “The training is two parts: In the classroom and then out in the field. They have to do a project that illustrates their knowledge of erosion control,” said Mike Morse, with the Bureau of Land and Water Quality in the DEP’s Portland office.
The purpose of the course is “To certify contractors in conjunction with the law. That took effect Jan. 1, 2013. There was a grace period,” Morse said. In Casco, Code Enforcement Don Murphy said he contacted four local contractors and joined them in the DEP-led course in Portland. The class covers nonpoint source pollution and best management practices. Later that week, the group got their hands dirty at Pleasant Lake’s town beach off Mayberry Hill Road. Those contractors included Donny Warren with D&D Sealcoating and Striping; Clint Willey of R.N. Willey and Sons Excavating, Inc.; Bob Symons, an area builder; and general contractor Gary Miller. According to Murphy, as part of the certification, the contractors chose an erosioncontrol project. HANDS, Page A
FILLING THE NIGHT SKY WITH COLOR — Fireworks displays will be held in Bridgton on Wednesday, July 3 and in Naples on Thursday, July 4. For a full listing of Fourth of July celebrations, see the schedule on Page 7A. (Photo courtesy of Greg VanVliet/www.lakeregionphotography.com)
Parking dilemma sign of times By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The Crosswalks Community Outreach program has reached a crossroads. The number of people participating in the food bank and free sit-down lunch has grown considerably. Several verbal complaints have been levied about the lack of parking at the Naples Town Office; and the people who complained blamed the food bank and complementary lunch that takes place in the town gymnasium twice a month on Mondays. The complaints began this winter — prior to the busier times during the summer when tourists and seasonal
residents arrive and children are released from school. On Monday night, more than two dozen Crosswalks volunteers attended the Naples Board of Selectmen meeting to defend their services, and to find alternatives for the overcrowded parking situation. In the end, the board agreed to form a subcommittee with Crosswalks members and come up with a reasonable resolution. Selectman Christine Powers, who was aiming for an amiable solution, said, “We have a great problem and a terrible problem. We have a terrible problem because there are more people than ever in need; and
we have a great problem because Crosswalks’ kitchen is so successful that parking has become an issue,” Powers said. Crosswalks Community Outreach Director Joanna Moore said the parking dilemma at the town office is not the fault of the nonprofit, which hands out food and offers lunches. “I have taken pictures of the parking lot when we were not here; and the parking lot was full,” Moore said. “We are open 7.3 % of the time. We are here 26 days a year, every other Monday. I have counted the parking spaces. There are no signs for (United States) Post Office
parking. There are 758 mail boxes, and about 28 parking spaces,” she said. As was mentioned several times, Crosswalks volunteers park their own vehicles behind the town office or along Lambs Mill Road. Also, they have encouraged food pantry participants to parallel park on the sides of Lambs Mill Road, which is close to the town office. Like other people who spoke, Moore said she has arrived at the town office — on days when the Crosswalks was not in operation — and found parking scarce. Some days, she has parked her vehicle along Route 302 and walked up the hill. She PARKING, Page A
Naples Causeway landscaping coming up roses By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Everything is coming up roses. Rather, all the recentlyplanted flowers, shrubbery and trees are thriving on the Naples Causeway. According to Kent Cooper, the senior landscape architect
rounds with him. So, everything is going to be in good hands,” he said. In the same way that it can take years for an acorn to produce an oak tree, it took numerous hours of planning for the Causeway Restoration Committee to settle on a list of trees and perennials that could
survive the terrain. Also, the committee had settled on a primitive-style amphitheater. Luck and timing clicked into place last fall when the general contractor for the project, Wyman and Simpson Inc., was creating the amphitheater. Granite stones from a demol-
ished bridge in north Augusta were delivered for the seats and steps of the amphitheater in Naples. “It happened to be mostly dictated by the types of granite pieces we ended up with,” Cooper said.
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — When thousands of people flock to the Causeway for Independence Day fireworks, their gazes will be toward the sky. Meanwhile, it is where those people are standing that has changed, and is still under construction. Work on the sidewalks will be completed in another two to three weeks. That is according to Craig Hurd, the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) resident engineer on the Bay of Naples Bridge and Causeway construction project. But, that task will not impede the flow of foot traffic on the Causeway. MULCHING — An employee from Sabra Property Care uses a pneumatic blower to “It shouldn’t impact too disperse mulch on the north side of the Bay of Naples Bridge in May. (De Busk Photo) much. People can walk on
the sidewalk, except where we are working. Then, you will have to go around,” Hurd said. The concrete for the sidewalks was placed last autumn. The issue is that the concrete is spalling. “Spalling is when little pieces of concrete flake off,” Hurd said. “We are scarifying it to put an architectural treatment on the sidewalks,” he said. “Basically, with scarifying, you take off all the screw
stuff and expose the aggregate. Then, we are going to seal it,” Hurd explained. Unfortunately, the construction crew cannot focus only on the problem areas, but must re-do the entire stretch of sidewalk. Hurd said the drawback is that even the areas of sidewalk that are not spalling must get the same treatment — grinding it down to the aggregate and using a water repellent sealant. SIDEWALK, Page A
with the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), the landscaping is in good shape. “We are having lots and lots of nice rain so everything is growing really well,” Cooper said on Monday. “The day lilies and beach roses seem to be putting on a good show,” he said.
Cooper said that during the last week of June he was on the site of the Bay of Naples Bridge and Causeway construction project, and had time to inspect the landscaping and periodically pluck a few weeds. “The town has hired a local maintenance company; and I have done a couple walk-a-
GREENERY, Page A
Naples sidewalk resolution sealed up
The Bridgton News Established 1870
P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. Bridgton, ME 04009 207-647-2851 Fax: 207-647-5001 bnews@roadrunner.com